Marsh



UNITED srkfrns Arum sonaron.

HENRY M. WHITMARSH, OF ABINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, JAMES O. NASH, AND ELEAZER D. NASH, 0F SAME PLACE.

FASTENING- FOR GAITER BOOTS.

Speccaton of Letters Patent No. 36,497, dated September 16, 1862.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY M. VHIT- MARSH, of Abington, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Boot-Fastening, of which the following is a full, clear, and eX- act description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in whichh Figure l, is a perspective view of a boot with my improved fastening; Fig. 2, a view of the tongue piece detached; Fig. 3, is a transverse section through the same; Fig. 4, a view of one of the clamps or slides enlarged.

The half boot known as the Balmoral pattern, and gaiter boots which are laced up, are inconvenient on account of t-he trouble and delay of lacing them. The object of my present invention is to avoid this, and consists of an improved boot fastening which I will proceed to describe in such terms that others skilled in the art may understand and use my invention.

In the said drawings A is the boot which is open from L to the ankle at Z2, and has attached to each edge of this opening, a. series of clamps or slides c (one of which is shown enlarged in Fig. 4). This clamp consists of a piece of metal stamped or bent into the form shown, that is with a shank 5, which is inserted between the leather and the lining before they are stitched together, and is secured by rivets d, the front part or jaws of the clamp are bent so as to come nearly together at 6 and to leave a wider space 8, of a circular form just back of it. A tongue or gore B, occupies the opening a to b, when the boot is on the foot and secured; it has a cord z' attached to each edge of the tongue (which consists of a piece of cord wit-h the leather sewn over it as shown in section in Fig. 3) which slides in the clamps c, the form of the clamp permitting it to slide lengthwise, that is from a to b while the throat or jaw 6 prevents it from being pulled away from the clamp. These cords z' extend beyond the top of the tongue B, that when the tongue is drawn down into the position shown in red (which is necessary when the boot is to be put on) the cords will still project above the upper clamp c to be taken hold of to draw the tongue up and secure the boot A thumb piece j' is attached to the lower end of the tongue B to take hold of to pull it down; this also serves as a stop to prevent the tongue from being pulled up too far.

The tongue piece B may be made entirely of leather, or of elastic india rubber webbing, with a leather binding on the edges, as shown in Fig. l, or with eyelets and a lacing or a representation of lacing, as shown in Fig. 2, in which case of course the lacing would not be used; and my improved boot fastening above described may be applied to other styles of boots, or to other parts of the boot, for example to the side, as in a ladies lace boot so called.

What Iclaim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is The above described improved boot fastening, consisting of a gore or tongue piece B, which is drawn down to expose the opening a b and is drawn up again to close and secure said opening, and which piece B is held in place by the cords 2' and clamps c substantially as specified.

H. M. WHITMARSH. lVitnesses:

N. T. HUNT, A. 7. CARVER. 

